Street’s revamp back on track after talks

BUILDING work to revamp Montague Street is expected to start in October after compromises were made over the choice of paving slabs.

The £1million work to revitalise Worthing’s busiest shopping street was facing delays last month, after concerns over the potential loss of iconic red brick paving in Montague Place.

A public consultation found the majority in favour of a light coloured paving but conservation groups and Worthing Borough Council’s planning committee argued for the red brick at the last minute.

A meeting of interested parties was held on Tuesday, with a consensus finally reached.

The consultation-backed design will go forward, with attempts made to see if the red brick can be incorporated into the final project.

Town centre manager Sharon Clarke said: “I felt it was encouraging that everyone at the meeting agreed the investment was important and needed to happen as soon as possible without delay.

“It’s important that all views are taken into account through consultation and it was good that a compromise was agreed, allowing for a modern shopping precinct to develop with a link to Worthing’s heritage.”

Once a design recommen-dation is passed to West Sussex County Council, it takes around 32 weeks to find a contractor and schedule the works.

Without a decision at the meeting, the October start date would not have been met.